


Reborn

by SamirahTheFalafelQueen



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:42:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22740421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamirahTheFalafelQueen/pseuds/SamirahTheFalafelQueen
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Reborn

_It’s… lonely. To be more powerful than any man you know and have to live like a shadow. To be special and have to pretend you’re a fool._

_1999_

Destiny has a weird way of revealing itself. Sometimes it’s been known all along, sometimes it’s learnt, sometimes it’s given to you, disguised as anything but. It was also a real pain in the arse, although that could be a definition suited just for Merlin.

Centuries had come and gone and Merlin was still wandering the Earth, waiting for Albion to appear. It seemed that magic had disappeared and although the United Kingdoms were, well, united, prejudice and alienation was still very much present. Albion was meant to be a place of peace, yet here everyone was more concerned about immigrants. Destiny, Merlin decided eons ago, could shove itself back where it came from.

Servant life was no longer something Merlin could do and so he found himself as an independent bookstore owner. It was perfect - people rarely entered his store, opting for _Waterstones_.

“Hey, do you have any books on Arthurian legends?”

Emphasis on rarely. Sometimes there is a curious customer.

Merlin leaned across the counter, praying that this was not a destiny moment; how many times has he had false alarms? Ten? Twenty? Okay, a couple hundred thousand false alarms. He had given up on the thought of Arthur coming back from the dead even though it was fated. The logic.

“We have a few. The Once and Future King by T.H. White?” Merlin offered.

“Great, thanks.”

There was no shift in the wind, no inner voice screaming prophetic words, no blinding light. Another false alarm and another Arthurian fan. Lucky Merlin.

Merlin’s favourite part of the day is when he can lock up the store and head home. Gaius would be waiting for him at the door, purring a welcome, and his favourite soup was waiting to be eaten. It was also the time of day where Merlin could open up his magic books, although he did not need them. He did not want to forget who he was. Tonight, he would not get the chance.

The sky had turned an inky dark blue and the rain was thrashing down hard. Merlin could never get the hang of driving, so he walked. He missed the days where he could mount up on a horse, even though it was a chore to do so. The walk was good though, it meant that he could walk past the lake. He would stop, right by the hedges, and think about the old times. How annoying Arthur could be, how he was a giant prick, but most of all how he was the greatest friend that he ever had. But tonight, there was something else to think about.

A baby, left on the side of the road, crying. Destiny, Merlin remembered, had a weird way of revealing itself.


End file.
